Chandigarh, May 21 (PTI) The Punjab government has handed over to the vigilance bureau the investigation into an alleged scam by Pearl Group — a chit fund company.
“The Punjab Vigilance Bureau is an independent and specialised agency which has a dedicated Economic Offences Wing (EOW) for investigation of complex economic offences.
“Considering the specialised nature of investigation needed in the Pearl scam, and its inter-state ramifications, the investigations have been transferred to the vigilance bureau so that they can be conducted in a fair and transparent manner to unravel the entire scam,” according to a government order.
No person involved in the scam shall be spared and all available evidence would be brought on record. Efforts would be made by the vigilance bureau, in coordination with the Justice Lodha Committee set up by the Supreme Court, to return the investments of the maximum numbers of duped investors, it further said.
The vigilance bureau will investigate the two FIRs related to the scam registered in Ferozepur and Mohali.
Pearl Group allegedly cheated many people in various parts of the country, including Punjab, by illegally operating different investment schemes.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, during his assembly election campaign, had promised that if his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) formed the government, the hard-earned money of people, who are the victims of the ponzi scam, would be returned by confiscating assets of chit fund companies.
In February this year, Mann asked the deputy commissioners to identify all properties of Pearl Group in their respective districts and restrict their sale. PTI CHS SMN SMN
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